Henry Lee, the famous forensic scientist who helped shed light on modern crime scene investigations through his involvement in high-profile cases such as the O. J. Simpson murder trial, has died. He was 87 years old.
Lee “passed away peacefully” Friday at his home in Henderson, Nevada, after a brief illness, according to a statement from his family and the University of New Haven, where he taught for more than 50 years.
Lee rose to fame after his testimony at Simpson’s 1995 trial, in which he questioned how blood evidence was handled. He also served as a consultant in other high-profile investigations, including the 1996 murder of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey in Colorado; the 2004 trial of Scott Peterson, accused of killing his pregnant wife Lacey; and the 2007 murder trial of record producer Phil Spector.
But Lee’s work came under scrutiny in his later years 2023 Federal Court ruling He was found responsible for fabricating evidence in a 1985 murder case that sent two Connecticut men to prison for decades.
Li was born in China, the 11th of 13 children, and moved with his family to Taiwan where he earned a degree in police administration and became a police officer and later a captain. He and his late wife moved to the United States in 1964, where he earned advanced degrees in forensic science and biochemistry.
He first gained notoriety for his work in Connecticut investigating the 1986 disappearance of flight attendant Hailey Crafts — using small bone fragments, the tip of a thumb, the crown of a tooth and pieces of hair found near her home to help authorities prove that Crafts’ husband had dismembered her body and disposed of it in a wood chipper. Prosecutors were able to get a conviction even though there was no body.
“Sometimes they compare me to Sherlock Holmes or Charlie Chan. “In real life, scientists, investigators and the public have to work together,” Lee was quoted as saying in a 2000 article, while stepping down as commissioner of the Connecticut State Police. … We don’t get commercial breaks.
Lee continued to work on high-profile cases until he became a state judge in 2020 He was evacuated Two men were convicted of murder in 1985 and pleaded guilty partially Based on testimony about what he told me at the time about there being blood stains on the towel. Tests conducted after the trial, when the men appealed their sentences, showed that the stains were not blood.
A federal judge said in 2023 that there was no evidence to support Lee’s testimony. Lee defended his reputation and his workHe denied that he had fabricated evidence and suggested that traces of blood may have decomposed in the 20 years between the crime and when defense experts tested the towel.
Lee eventually spent most of his career in Connecticut, including as head of the state’s forensic laboratory. At the University of New Haven, he helped build the forensic science program from a single fingerprint collection to a multidisciplinary academic department. Lee later helped found a forensic institute in his name at the school to train forensic and criminal justice professionals and provide case consultation.
“Dr. Lee was a wonderful person,” University of New Haven President Jens Frederiksen said in a statement. “His contributions to our university as well as forensic science and law enforcement are exceptional and unparalleled. His legacy lives on in the generations of students and law enforcement professionals he influenced throughout his remarkable career.”
Lee, the author or co-author of more than 40 books, was putting the finishing touches on a book about investigations into missing persons in his final days, the university statement said. He is still expected to be released.